Book 14, Question 48
Why Do Phone Calls Make Voices Sound Thinner?
Phone calls make voices sound thinner because a phone sends only part of your voice! It sends roughly the sounds between 300 and 3,400 hertz. It leaves out the deepest and the highest sounds.
More fun facts
- Phones only pick up sound frequencies above about 300 or 400 hertz.
- Most adult speaking voices are lower than 300 hertz.
- So the phone drops the deepest part of a voice.
- Our brains fill in the missing low notes, so voices don't sound much higher on the phone.
- Phone makers often shrink and cover speakers in plastic, which can hurt sound quality.
Sources: Scientific American, Scientific American
Questions kids ask
Why does my recorded voice sound strange to me?
Normally you also hear your voice through the bones of your head, but a recording leaves that part out.